Exploding God

Chapter 1178 You'll Be a Hero for Life (The End)

It was a bright and sunny morning, but the atmosphere in the square was eerily quiet.

That young man seemed to be born to be the center of attention; when he appeared, he naturally attracted everyone's gaze.

The way the other person ate the steamed bun so leisurely was unsettling.

"Who are you?"

Zhao Luanyan's pupils contracted, his tone filled with deep apprehension. For a moment, he hadn't even noticed how the other party had appeared.

In his eyes, the young man with a steamed bun in his mouth was full of flaws, but upon closer inspection, he was impossible to attack.

This was the first time in Zhao Luanyan's martial arts career that his own martial arts intuition had failed to make a judgment immediately.

……

Lu Ze chewed the bun and swallowed it; the shrimp and meat filling was surprisingly delicious.

He patted the girl on the shoulder, signaling her to calm down, then looked at Zhao Luanyan, who seemed to be on high alert, and smiled.

The cool morning breeze blew tirelessly, and everyone heard the clear, peaceful, and polite words without the slightest ripple.

"My surname is Lu, and my given name is Ze."

"The grace that benefits all things."

His surname is Lu!

Lu Ze!

Not to mention Zhao Luanyan, even Zhao Feibai, the head of the Zhao family who always maintained aloofness, changed his expression upon hearing this.

Is this ridiculously young man the legendary "Mr. Lu"?

Is Kirihara Riku the first person in a thousand years to single-handedly bring a family to its peak?

His excessively youthful appearance and brilliant achievements created a strong contrast at this moment, bringing a silent shock to everyone.

Swish!

Hundreds of eyes from the Zhao clan fell on Zhao Luanyan, some with sympathy, some with worry, and some with schadenfreude.

The reclusive martial artists of the Zhao family had relatively calm eyes, but there seemed to be a hint of expectation deep in their gazes.

In their view, Zhao Luanyan's recklessness might not be a bad thing.

As long as Zhao Luanyan can test the opponent's strength, then they will have more confidence in their next actions.

……

However, none of the Zhao clan members saw that the moment Lu Ze appeared, Zhao Luanyan's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.

If the other party hadn't appeared in such an abrupt and casual manner, then it could be said that all the developments up to this point have been under his control.

But why does all the intelligence report focus on how powerful Mr. Lu is, while no one bothers to mention his disciples?

The current situation has put him in a difficult position.

Behind him were the patriarch and a group of elders. He could not back down, as this would be completely contrary to the patriarch's decision!

The indifferent gaze in front of him brought him immense psychological pressure.

Under double pressure, Zhao Luanyan made a decision in an instant.

He can still back down, but only after he has demonstrated the integrity of the Zhao family!

Zhao Luanyan looked at Lu Ze, bowed with clasped hands, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "So you are Mr. Lu. I am Zhao Luanyan, the chief retainer of the Zhao family. I was just a..."

Before he could even utter the word "misunderstanding," his voice suddenly stopped as Lu Ze interrupted him with his left hand, causing Zhao Luanyan's eye muscles to twitch slightly.

Lu Ze smiled, met the hundreds of pairs of eyes opposite him, and walked towards Zhao Luanyan, saying as he went:

There's nothing wrong with bullying the weak.

"I think you taught her very well. It was indeed my fault that she didn't realize the dangers of society."

Lu Ze's tone and walking posture were as casual as his words. No one expected that the scene of confronting him would not happen. Instead, he casually admitted his mistake.

However, Zhao Luanyan dared not be careless in the slightest. On the contrary, as the distance between him and Lu Ze continued to shrink, the hairs on his body stood on end.

When Lu Ze was within five meters of him, he could no longer hold back. Under the stimulation of a strong sense of crisis, a tangible azure energy surged up.

Having been sent flying by Tantai Zhongyi's palm strike before, he directly activated his trump card this time—[Calamus Armor]!

As the hands quietly clenched into fists, countless cattails sprouted from the palms, spreading rapidly along the wrists to the arms and the whole body, instantly weaving into a blue-tinged armor.

With a strange leap, the cyan aura pulsating on the body surface was replicated again, and the two layers combined to give the whole thing an almost metallic texture.

This time, Zhao Luanyan finally felt a little relieved and forced a smile, saying, "Mr. Lu, you're joking. This is just a..."

Lu Ze calmly looked at Zhao Luanyan, and his gentle shaking of his head made the other party swallow the word "misunderstanding" again.

The veins on Zhao Luanyan's neck were already bulging, a result of his suppressed anger.

Lu Ze didn't give him any chance to explain at all!

Although his tone was calm and he even had a faint smile on his face, the domineering aura he exuded in every word and action was no less than that of Tantai Zhongyi!

Today is different from the past. He now has two-thirds of the Zhao family's martial power behind him, and he has come carrying the will of the family head and the Zhao family!

So Zhao Luanyan stopped speaking, and the friendly smile on his face disappeared. Instead, he slightly lowered his chin and looked down at Lu Ze with indifference, taking advantage of his height.

Since we can't reach an agreement, Zhao Luanyan will accept whatever terms are agreed upon today!

Lu Ze paused, a movement that startled everyone in front of him, but he simply turned his head slightly and said something to the girl behind him.

"Spark, bullying the weak is the privilege of the strong, remember that?"

"Disciple has remembered." The girl nodded heavily, straightened the Cliff Edge Spear, and placed it firmly on the ground with a serious expression.

"very good."

Lu Ze nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Zhao Luanyan again. Neither the pure cyan qi nor the reed armor, which could be called a defensive treasure, could make his eyes waver in the slightest.

Would you rather be a hero for life, or a coward for a moment?

Of course... um?

Zhao Luanyan was a little confused. Was that exactly what he said?

Lu Ze slowly raised his right hand amidst hundreds of wary gazes. As his fingertips touched his left shoulder, he smiled slightly:

"Then let me put it another way: would you rather die gloriously, or live a wretched life?"

[To die, or to live!?]

When those two jarring words appeared, Zhao Luanyan trembled instantly, and every hair on his body stood on end.

Lu Ze's smile turned indifferent, and he swung his right hand back, sweeping it towards Zhao Luanyan's cheek.

Zhao Luanyan's pupils shrank to pinpoints, his body surged with internal energy, his muscles bulged, and he raised his arm to block.

"Stop!" A furious shout came from behind, and two blurry figures shot out from the crowd, kicking Lu Ze from the left and right.

Reclusive martial artists from the Jingyang Mountains, twin brothers Zhao Moqi and Zhao Moxing, both at the 12th Star Realm!

Their combined power was so ferocious that even in mid-air, the air on both sides could be seen twisting and compressing inwards, making Lu Ze's figure sway unpredictably.

It was too late to stop them, so their tacit decision was to attack Lu Ze head-on, in order to force him to back down and defend!

However, Lu Ze's gaze remained calm and composed, showing no panic or sarcasm, only the slightly pale face of Zhao Luanyan, who was extremely tense.

The back of the hand that was swept out eventually collided with the raised forearm.

The cyan aura, which had doubled in thickness, was instantly covered with cracks!

The intertwined cattails, forming a protective shell, crumbled inch by inch!

The next second—

boom!

From the ground to the sky, a powerful air pressure wave with a radius of more than ten meters was instantly created.

puff!

Zhao Luanyan's face suddenly turned bright red, and the blood mist he had just spat out was swept away into nothingness by the shockwave.

Amidst a teeth-grinding, ear-piercing screeching sound, Zhao Luanyan somehow managed to plow the ground with both feet, flying sideways at half the speed of sound, crashing through the wall with a thunderous boom, kicking up a cloud of dust.

……

Snapped.

Low and muffled, these two overlapping sounds drew everyone's attention.

When they saw the still image, everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave...

A terrifying aura, over half a meter thick, silently ignited, its pure crimson color like a magnificent beacon fire, gently pulsating and carrying a chilling aura.

Lu Ze neither dodged nor avoided, quietly looking ahead, his figure appearing and disappearing within the blazing red aura.

The legs that Zhao Moqi and Zhao Moxing kicked out from the left and right were hanging there strangely. Their expressions were no longer calm, and for the first time, great fear appeared in their eyes.

They watched in horror as Lu Ze took a step forward, watching the surging crimson energy engulf most of their bodies. They couldn't even struggle. At that moment, it was as if the entire world had become Lu Ze's embodiment.

Lu Ze grabbed Zhao Moqi's ankle on the left side with his right hand, which he hadn't yet retracted, and then casually flung it away.

boom!

In the powerful storm, Zhao Moqi's leg was swung in an arc, and he crashed into Zhao Moxing like a cannonball. Then, the two of them sprayed out a large cloud of blood mist. Before they could even scream, they crashed at subsonic speed into the spot where the chief elder had just landed, once again creating a cloud of dust.

Lu Ze, the instigator, casually tossed out a rag and walked toward Zhao Feibai.

For every step he took, the entire Zhao family contingent retreated one step.

Zhao Feibai did not retreat, but his arrogant face, which originally carried the air of a noble family, gradually turned ashen.

The sheer thickness of that protective aura, exceeding half a meter, was enough to drive him to despair.

That was a protective aura thicker than the walls of Longyang Fortress, and an aura ten times more terrifying than that of a thirteen-star level behemoth!

Lu Ze walked unhurriedly to Zhao Feibai's side. The crimson aura that had enveloped his entire body silently dissipated, revealing his handsome face once more. He calmly gazed at Zhao Feibai.

"In my eyes, you 137 people and that old dog Tantai are just ants and slightly larger ants."

"Old dog Tantai is the slightly larger ant."

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Feibai's body trembled, and a violent tremor appeared in his gray-white pupils. The subtle tremor quickly spread throughout his body, and his body began to shake uncontrollably.

The crowd, which had just begun to stir upon hearing these words, froze as Lu Ze gently snapped his fingers for the first time.

They slowly raised their necks, and could clearly hear the cracking of their bones, like the gears in a clock, mechanical and stiff.

They finally raised their heads in horror and clearly saw the crimson light shield that enveloped the kilometer-long plaza and... the fiery red giant sword silently suspended in mid-air!

That was highly concentrated stellar energy, and the aura of a desolate world permeated the spine and edge of the sword.

They had no doubt that when the giant sword fell, their bodies would turn to dust, fly away, and merge into the light.

"To me, there's no difference between crushing an ant and wiping out a Longyang Fortress."

Lu Ze took another step forward, but instead stood beside the trembling Zhao Feibai. He looked indifferently at the hundred or so martial artists from the Zhao family and asked that soul-searching question once again.

"Chief Zhao, would you rather be a hero for life, or a coward for a moment?"

……

In the distance, Zhao Luanyan, who had just crawled out of the ruins with a severed arm, fainted upon hearing these words and collapsed to the ground.

His mouth was open, but his throat was filled with blood and he couldn't speak at all; blood foam continued to spill from the corners of his mouth.

His eyes showed pleading.

He was scared, he was really scared...

That is not the power that humans should possess; that is the power of gods!

The life and death of the Zhao family rests entirely on your decision, Master.

……

"I..." Zhao Feibai gritted his teeth, his cheeks trembling with anger and fear.

He dared not turn around, for he could hear the panting of hundreds of people behind him.

"I'm willing to be a coward for now..."

After speaking, the Zhao family head, who had carried the expectations of several generations and endured hardship to this day, became listless, hunched over, and looked as if he had aged more than ten years.

"No."

However, a hand gently patted his shoulder, causing him to shudder and raise his head in disbelief.

Because the young man beside him gave an answer that was completely unexpected.

"You must be a hero for life."

"Because there is no going back in the future."

Amidst hundreds of shocked gazes, Lu Ze smiled and turned around, pointing one hand towards the magnificent Song Family New Town in the distance. The crimson giant sword and the Red Furnace Sword Domain that had been hanging in mid-air had quietly dissipated as Lu Ze calmly spoke.

"Clan Chief Zhao, please."

Zhao Feibai was deeply shaken. The color in his eyes gradually returned, and as the powerful leader of the Zhao family, his eyes reddened.

Lu Ze's words and actions were so bold and showed such magnanimity!

As the soft morning light streamed down, the young man in my line of sight stood calmly.

Her demeanor was elegant and refined, and she possessed a divine aura.

"Today, Zhao Feibai, along with the entire Zhao clan, has come to pay respects to Mr. Lu and the Song family! Please!"

……

On this day, the Zhao family of Jingyang Mountain issued a notice to Wuyuan Lu—

For the next three years, the Zhao family will follow the Song family's lead without question. The Jingyang Mountains will be opened unconditionally, and the armorers from Longyang Fort will be stationed in the new town of Songjia!

This announcement caused a huge uproar in the cultivation world, startling the Gu and Changsun families, who were still dawdling on their way, so much so that they hurriedly headed to Song's New Town.

Following closely behind, the Gu and Changsun families issued announcements with similar content, both outlining a three-year strategy primarily focused on the Song family.

The Song family then announced that they would build new martial arts towns around various ancient sites, where martial artists could practice as long as they paid an entrance fee, with education available to all.

This time, even the slowest-witted person noticed signs of an impending upheaval in Kirihara Rikuri.

As a result, a large number of martial artists began to travel to various new towns to cultivate, including even the Tantai clan who were burdened with a blood feud.

Some astute individuals secretly reported this to Lu Ze, only to be shocked to discover that this high and mighty Mr. Lu not only did not prohibit it, but also personally went down to the field to provide guidance from time to time.

This nonchalant yet generous attitude further enhanced Lu Ze's reputation. In just two months, he won over martial arts masters from various families and became someone admired by countless martial artists from the bottom of their hearts.

Lu Ze simply smiled at this.

During this time, he returned home with Zhang Xinghuo and brought the girl's brother, Zhang Yecao, back to Songshi New Town.

Without him even lifting a finger, Zhang Xinghuo's status as the only disciple alone was enough to gather the most powerful physicians from several of the top families in the Mist Plains, who completely removed Zhang Yecao's hidden injuries and allowed him to resume his cultivation path.

Zhang Xinghuo formally kowtowed three times to his elder brother, whom he regarded as his father, and said, "Brother, you and Father both said that a single spark can start a prairie fire. I, Xinghuo, with my meager strength, want to give it a try."

The unrestrained and carefree older brother smiled and waved his hand.

"Burn it well, big brother."

……

It has been 87 days since Lu Ze stepped into Wuyuan Land.

Lin Qiguang, who was meditating beside a deep pool deep in the Jingyang Mountains, suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with surprise and uncertainty.

At that moment, his watch emitted a piercing buzzer.

He himself felt the vast, endless tide of star energy!

That feeling made him tremble with excitement.

"It's here...it's here! Hahaha, it came so easily!"

Lin Qiguang couldn't help but look up to the sky and roar!

The true passage connecting the two worlds is finally about to reappear.

Moreover, it happened a full six months earlier than he had expected!

He found the coordinates...

"Lin Riyue, isn't this what you were doing all this time? I really want to see your horrified expression when I reveal these coordinates to the world!"

As Lin Qiguang muttered to himself, he carefully washed his wild-looking face clean. Then, after the terrifying vortex that stood between heaven and earth finally formed, he laughed and leaped into the dark purple vortex.

"Earth, I'm back!"

……

The Pacific Ocean.

142°05′E, 27°43′N, over the Ogasawara Islands.

A man draped in black robes stood on the precipice, his left hand holding a whirlpool, while his right hand held a bead filled with mist and lightning.

These are none other than two strategic A-rank fog soldiers capable of triggering a war—[Storm Funnel] and [Storm Orb]!

Beneath the black robe, the man who once loved listening to piano music and elegantly accepted red envelopes in the orthopedic ward of the Combat Association Hospital was now pale, with blood trickling from his eyes and the corners of his mouth...

As a doctor, his overt profession would naturally make it impossible for him not to know that his body was on the verge of collapse.

But he didn't care at all at the moment, and even laughed while coughing up blood.

The laughter was slightly breathless, yet it conveyed boundless satisfaction.

"Betrayal?"

"No, I have never been loyal to Modo, so how could I have betrayed him?"

"It's just that compared to your lowly ideals of ruling the world, my aspirations are far more noble, cough cough..."

Gan Duochao, or rather, the only strategic strategist in the [Modo] organization—the Wizard—spit out a mouthful of bloody saliva without a care.

"The threat of the fog is the greatest threat!"

"The evolution of all humankind is the ultimate solution!"

He suddenly closed his eyes, sensing the information transmitted by a marine species fifty kilometers away.

Just two or three seconds later, he opened his eyes and started chuckling to himself.

"[Rage], hehe...cough...brave but reckless, hahaha...come with me to witness history."

He laughed and raised his hands high.

Ahead, a kilometer away, countless bolts of lightning flickered and intertwined from the mist.

A massive black vortex appeared out of nowhere, instantly spanning the heavens and the earth.

(End of this chapter)